Uriah Heep Album By Album thread

The US version is the definitive version because it replaces the utterly forgettable "Lucy Blues" with the red-hot "Bird of Prey". That version of the album is strong from beginning to end. Great album.

Also does the charitable service of taking a great song off an otherwise largely disappointing sophomore release but I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

I was pleased as could be that I had been spared (by a fluke) Bird of Prey. Didn’t like it at all when I first heard it. Now, I’ve grown to tolerate and maybe even lean towards liking it. On the other hand, I can’t recall anything irritating about Lucy Blues. I guess I’ll listen to it now to see if I can figure out why its the target of so much disdain.

 

I would tend to disagree, on both counts, but I reckon there will be a lot of different angles on this thread. It's a broad cross-section of stuff on most of these albums.

 

Good first album with better things to come. "Gypsy" is the star here, I think.

 

I reckon I would almost exactly agree with this. I like Lucy Blues... but I am a big fan of blues, and it has a nice smooth slow blues feel to break the album up...
I was kind of surprised to hear so much dislike also lol

 

Yea Gypsy was the perfect starter, it is attention grabbing, and the organ just beats that sucker into the ground beautifully

 

I refer of course to the first Uriah Heep album "Very Heavy, Very 'Umble", it seems to me that we are trying on that album now in the thread. Only in one song (Bird Of Prey) Ken Hensley participates as a composer and this does not appear in the UK version of the album (it was added to the US release)
The rest belong to Box, Byron and Newton.

Edit
Hensley joins Uriah Heep at the time the recording of the album began but has no participation as a composer

 

I just finished listening to it and....it’s a blues. I still like it.
Dreammare just started. Written by Paul Newton, a guy who seems to always be overlooked. This is a solid, great song. “Grinning demons, smiling sideways, laughing in my face.”

 

Ah, I see. He doesn’t have any songwriting credits but I think he’s still left a heavy imprint with his Hammond organ. And that’s Hensley on the slide guitar on Real Turned On, isn’t it?

 

I really like this art cover, unfortunately I don't have a copy of that release.

 

Yes ! Hensley was the on slide guitar.

 

That version of Bird Of Prey isn't as good (IMHO) as the version on the U.S. version of the debut album. High Priestess is the leadoff track on the U.S. Salisbury.

 

Is the US version, the same as the Gypsy b-side?

 

I've never heard the Gypsy single. The original version of Birds Of Prey does not have the single Byron scream before the first verse. Also, there's no fade out at the end.

Here, this is the one.

 

Just finished the documentary. It’s almost as if three projects were spliced together. The longest part is through the Hensley years. That’s with the five or six commentators (including Hensley). Part 2 those guys disappear entirely and there’s a 15 -20 minute Abominog/Equator segment which is just the band playing live. Part III begins from 1986 with Lanzon and Bernie Shaw joining and goes to 2000 or 2001 (Acoustically Driven). MC or narrator is some guy in dark sunglasses (if he was identified, I missed it).

 

I'm a casual fan with room to grow into become a bigger one. I've listened to the debut a few times and thought it was pretty good.
I'll have to watch that documentary. This band has about a billion albums, so I'm looking forward to some sense made of all the member changes. I hope to see everything covered well and look forward to this eternal thread, which IMO is off to a great start.
I regret I won't have a lot of input, but I will stay on board......

 

That was cover my lp had until I sold it and picked up a cd version which had the other cover.

 

Maybe I'm wrong but my impression is: Yes

 

On one occasion I could to see a mini-lp edition with that art, I didn't really have the interest to buy it ... (sad) I have the version with the art of the UK release as you

 

We'll get to the songs

 

Nice thread Mark. One of my favorite bands of all time. The earliest memory I have of the band
was seeing Demons and Wizards in the record store when it was new, when I was around 12. I remember
like yesterday when our local FM Rock station aired this very exciting sounding ad for the new Live album,
playing short clips from Sweet Lorraine and Easy Livin'. I was hooked right there. Went out and bought
that album, and then D&W and Magician's Birthday, and Sweet Freedom as soon as it was released. Can't
say enough about how much I love this band. I'm mainly interested in the Byron era, but I have a few albums
after that too.

 

Yeah, I really like the original version of Birds Of Prey, the end without the face out is better.
We have not yet reached that song but as we have already mentioned ... excellent song

 

I find it remarkable that they are, seemingly, so much less known/appreciated/renowned than their immediate contemporaries of the day.

 

A great debut album, and a starting point for what the band became over the next few years. They managed to blend a quite unique sound which has influenced many bands since.

 

"Gypsy"

Single by Uriah Heep
from the album ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble
B-side "Bird of Prey"
Released 1970
Format 7"
Genre Heavy metal progressive rock progressive metal
Length 6:37
Label Bronze
Mercury
Songwriter(s) Mick Box, David Byron
Producer(s) Gerry Bron

The first single from Heep was certainly a statement. I have never heard the single version to be honest, and find it hard to imagine the song edited.
It charted at 27 in Italy and 28 in Germany.
The b-side in most countries was Bird Of Prey, but several other b-sides were used also - Wake Up (Set Your Sights), Come Away Melinda and Lady In Black.

The main difference with this version is most of the organ lead break in cut out. Surprisingly to me the song still works well, but for album enthusiasts, it is just a little lacking.